Free Demon Games [4] by Steve Feasey Page B

to the fire, and studied the vampire carefully.
    ‘Does the sun still burn you?’ she asked.
    ‘What?’
    ‘The sun. Does it still burn you?’
    The change in subject, coupled with the bizarre nature of the question, took Lucien by surprise. He shook his head, deep frown lines creasing his forehead as he looked back at her. He sighed. ‘What are you talking about, old woman?’
    ‘It’s a simple enough question. Does the—’
    ‘Yes, of course it does. Why?’ He wanted to get back to the subject of Caliban, and how they should go about finding him.
    ‘Have you tried to go into the sun since your recent . . . resurrection?’
    ‘And why would I do such a thing?’
    Hag raised her eyebrows as if considering. ‘You know that the original vampires were not killed by the sun in the human realm, don’t you?’
    ‘I have heard that, but—’
    She looked at him again, her expression unreadable. ‘Those first vampires were worshipped like gods by the ancient human civilizations. They were more powerful than any vampire that has existed since. But slowly their souls were destroyed by their lust for blood, and they were forced to become creatures of the night.’ She narrowed her eyes.
    Lucien stood up. ‘I have heard enough of this nonsense. If you will not help me to find my brother, I will—’
    ‘I did not say I would not help you,’ she said, stopping him. ‘But you have changed, Lucien. You are more powerful than you have ever been before. I can see it, even if you cannot . . . or will not.’
    Lucien waited, one eyebrow raised. ‘You said you would help?’
    ‘I will assist you in trying to stop your brother from unleashing Helde into this and the human world again, but I have no idea where he is. I will make some enquiries. I suggest you do the same.’ She stared at him, and again she had that strange look about her. ‘As to the other help you came here for, I doubt that my magic could do anything to help you any more, Lucien. You cannot hide from what you are forever, vampire. None of us can.’
    Lucien turned to leave. He was almost at the door when she called after him, ‘I understand you had some trouble with a Necrotroph recently. And that a friend of your daughter’s had to hide here in the Netherworld – under the protection of the Ashnon. Is that all resolved now?’
    There was something in the old woman’s tone that made Lucien turn to face her.
    ‘Why do you ask?’
    The sorceress waved her hand dismissively. ‘Oh, no reason. Just an old woman being nosey.’
    Lucien stared at her, certain that she knew something that she was not telling him.
    ‘Yes, it was all resolved before I left the human realm to come here.’
    ‘Good, good.’ Hag turned her back on him and shuffled back over to the stove she had been working at when he arrived. ‘Shut the door on your way out. It gets terribly draughty in here.’

 
11
    Alexa and the Ashnon approached the peak of the hill, crawling forward on their knees and elbows so that they would be able to peer down the gentle slope to Molok’s citadel without being spotted.
    Alexa pushed back the hood of the cloak that she wore and looked across at the fortress, noting the guarded fortifications dotted around the place. But it was the entrance that caught and held her attention, thronged as it was with a great gathering of nether-creatures. The Maug guards were just about maintaining order, stopping and conducting a brief search of each creature before allowing it to advance towards what appeared to be a giant turnstile, not dissimilar to those that she had seen at football grounds in the human realm. A huge demon with a head like a boar stood before the revolving mechanism, demanding that anyone wishing to enter the gate first show it a ticket.
    ‘What’s going on?’ Alexa asked. ‘What are all these nether-creatures doing here?’
    The Ashnon frowned. ‘It must be the Showing Day before the Games,’ it replied, without taking its eyes from the